A New Adventure
by fairyMei33
Summary: A rewrite of The Cat Returns. What if there's a reason all of this happened to Haru?
1. Omens

A NEW ADVENTURE

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of The Cat Returns.

A/N: I would like to give my sincere thanks to my beta YarningChick and her patience. This story is a rewrite from the movie, so the first few chapters will parallel the movie, and then it will move off into its own unique story. Reviews are appreciated.

**A NEW ADVENTURE**

_Chapter One_

_Tender hands cradled the precious seed for a moment, before gentle lips laid an equally gentle kiss on it. Then, with a light blow of breath, it sailed up and away, quickly disappearing into the bright blue sky._

Haru jerked awake from sleep to the sound of the placidly beeping alarm, blearily slapping the snooze button with her hand and rolling back over to cuddle in the blankets for a little while longer. And then, upon remembering just _why_ she had set the alarm in the first place, she gasped. "Not again!" she cried as she nearly fell out of bed.

She threw on the uniform she had thankfully had enough foresight to lay out last night.

Her mother's yell of "Aren't you up yet!" didn't really help her confidence in her timeliness either.

"I'm up! I'm up!!" she answered, dropping her sleeping clothes on her bed, throwing the blankets over them to disguise the fact that she really wasn't that neat a person. It was a small thing to do, but somehow hiding the mess always made her feel a little bit better about her messiness.

Out of sight, out of mind as they say.

As she jumped over a large stuffed animal that she refused to retire to the closet, she dug in her pocket for the hairtie she habitually placed there and bound her hair up into a quick ponytail, paused in front of the mirror long enough to make sure her hair was passable and grabbed her bag before rushing out of her room. Only to rush back in to look at herself in the mirror again more closely.

She brushed some imaginary lint off of her school skirt and peered at herself again before running back out the door with a muttered, "Whatever."

She managed not to fall down the steep steps that joined the second floor to the first and dashed into the kitchen area, just as her mother sat down at the table and reached for the pepper-grinder, giving her the quick greeting of "Hi Mom!"

"Really dear," her mother said, grinding pepper onto her breakfast, "why do you bother setting an alarm clock?"

Haru was too busy making sure she had everything she needed for school in her bag to give a proper answer. Sure she hadn't forgotten any of her homework, she grabbed the prepared lunch off the end table and tucked it in her bag with a quick, "Gotta go!" and dashed towards the door.

"Too bad you don't have time to eat," was her mother's reply, picking up the toast with a lettuce and perfectly made egg and taking a bite, making Haru come back and hesitate at the table, looking longingly at the delicious breakfast she was missing.

Of course, her mother was not sympathetic in the least, going, "Mmmm, mmmm!" as she chewed, and giving a light laugh before saying, "It's delicious!"

With a quick turn, Haru ran out of the room, pausing only long enough to stick her head back in and complain, "That's just mean!" before dashing out of the house.

She heard her mother laugh one more time and call, "Have a nice day!"

She ran down the street and turned the corner, jumping the little hedge-like bushes to shave off a few seconds of her school-dash. It didn't quite work as her skirt managed to get snagged on some branches and she had to slap them away, effectively eliminating the time she had gained from the jump.

Determined not to be late, she continued to evenly run down the street,

She almost fell straight on her face when her shoe got stuck on a curb. She managed to recover before her face met the sidewalk, but in the seconds it took her to do so, a twin line of men were jogging between her and it, having just come down from the overhead walkway.

"Uh, excuse me," she tried, hoping the men would let her through to get her shoe. Unfortunately, they didn't and she muttered, "Oh, come on!" in exasperation.

They finally ran past and she slid on her rescued shoe as quickly as she could and continued her run down the street.

She turned deftly into the schoolyard and managed to somehow take off her shoes, throw them in her footlocker, grab her slippers, and slip them on all at a run. She actually wasn't quite sure how she'd managed that, but she didn't have the time to wonder.

She dashed up the flight of stairs and paused in front of her classroom.

The teacher was droning on about some poem involving kingdoms and mountains.

Softly, she slid open the door and tried to creep her way to her seat without being noticed.

She didn't manage it.

"Haru, we all can see you sneaking in so just get to your seat please," the teacher said in a thoroughly bored voice.

She straightened quickly and chirped, "Yes'sir!"

The class all started laughing as she walked to her seat.

Hiromi quietly sang, "Busted," as she passed.

Hopelessly, Haru glanced at a boy two rows away from her and saw him laughing with the rest of the class.

She dropped her head with a soft defeated groan.

Classes went as classes do, and the only other notable thing that happened at school was being beaned off the head with a volleyball during free period. Of course, Hiromi laughed at that too.

Getting ready to go home, she dropped her shoes on the ground and slid them on as she sighed to Hiromi, "It's not fair." She walked out of the school with her friend and continued, "First I have a bad morning, and then everyone laughs at me in class." She sighed again. "Even Machida was laughing, wasn't he?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Hiromi giggled quietly as she said, "Yeah; pretty hard."

"Why me?" Haru asked, stopping walking and looking down. "Why are all these bad things happening to me?"

"Hmmm," Hiromi thought, stopping as well and shouldering her lacrosse stick. "Maybe it's some kind of weird omen, Haru. Like your life is gonna get a whole lot worse real soon."

Hiromi started walking again and Haru followed her, calling sarcastically, "Thanks, that helps a lot!"

"Why are you worried about what Machida thinks, anyway?" Hiromi asked gently.

"I just think he's so darn cool!" Haru replied, raising one hand and clenching it in emphasis.

"You should tell him that," her friend answered.

Haru dropped her hand and looked uneasily to the side. "What if he has a girlfriend?" she asked. "I'd look like a jerk."

"He does have a girlfriend. A freshman. Really cute!" Hiromi said teasingly.

"Then why're you telling me to flirt with him!" Haru said, playfully swinging her bag at Hiromi's head.

It was easily dodged and Hiromi answered impishly, "Cause I wanted to have a good laugh when he blows you off!" She counter-swung her lacrosse stick in defense.

"You are terrible!" Haru said, snatching the lacrosse stick and swinging that at Hiromi as well.

"Machida's not that cool anyway," Hiromi said, continuing walking, "My Tsuge is much cooler and…" she paused, looking down.

"Tsuge again?" Haru asked, following Hiromi's gaze and trailing off herself, "Can…"

A beautiful cat strode between them.

It was a dusty black color, with the strangest hint of grayish-blue to its fur. It had a thin gold collar around its neck and carried a little yellow box with a pretty red bow in its mouth.

They both watched as it continued down the sidewalk, its stride graceful and smooth, then both turned to the other in curiosity.

"What in the heck was that?" Hiromi asked.

"Cat burglar?" Haru replied straightfaced.

They looked back in time to see the cat turn and pause at the street, looking quickly in both directions.

"Where does he think he's going?" Hiromi wondered aloud before calling, "Hey! Dumb cat! You'll get killed!"

The cat apparently didn't hear her as it started walking across the road.

The light turned green above it and the previously stopped cars started rolling forward.

"Oh well, it's just a cat," Hiromi stated, starting to turn around to leave.

Haru's eyes were glued to the scene. "This doesn't look so good," she said softly.

A truck was quickly approaching the cat.

Haru hoped it would get out of the way in time, but then it dropped its' box. It landed bow-side down and the cat tried pushing it back over to pick it back up.

"Ah! What is he doing!" Hiromi cried, but Haru barely heard her.

She'd already dropped her bag and was dashing into the street, lacrosse stick held high.

The beat of her feet on the pavement echoed around her, a counterpoint to her pounding heart as she focused on the pulse of traffic as it approached.

Time seemed to slow.

She felt the wind as it graced over the truck, the hum of the engine as it approached, and knew that she could do it.

She dashed in front of the truck, not even blinking as her body fell into the rhythm she wanted it to.

Even step, graceful strength, easy swing.

She caught the cat in the netting of the lacrosse stick and scooped it up, little box and all.

The screech of the tires screamed behind her as she continued, her eyes glancing down to look at the rescued feline.

In that moment, the rhythm broke.

Her stick clumsily smashed against a road meter, sending the cat tumbling and herself towards an even less graceful landing onto the dirt between the flower bushes.

She sat panting, shoulders slumped, head dropped and momentarily utterly exhausted. It was always the same when she broke from her flow. Somehow, it always took something out of her.

For a moment, she could feel that it meant something, but like always, it quickly faded, leaving her with the ghost of an important feeling from the moment.

She forcefully brought her mind back to the reason she had run into the road. Slowly looking up, she said, "Whoa, cat. That was close!"

No sooner had she said it than she'd finished looking up, and all further words left her with a gasp.

The cat was standing on its hind legs, looking quite comfortable as it brushed some dirt from it's fur. It cleaned a particularly dirty paw for a moment before turning to her with a mismatched gaze of fire and ice.

It smiled. And then spoke.

"That was quite a brave act you performed on my account. I am extremely grateful. I hope that you have not injured yourself."

Stammering seemed appropriate at a time like this.

"Well, then. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm in quite a hurry. I'll return later to thank you properly," the cat said with a bow of respect.

It was enough to shock Haru out of her daze. She bowed back and managed to squeak out, "Uh, that's okay."

The cat went back down on its four feet, grabbed the little box with its teeth and slipped under the railing and around the flower bushes. She watched it ran to the corner, looked back at her and bowed its - his head at her before disappearing around the bend.

Haru had barely heard Hiromi come up with a call of her name; neither did she fully focus on what she was saying about the stick. She was still busy staring at where the cat had been.

At the word 'cat' however, she looked up to her friend and pointed with one finger. "It talked."

"What?" Hiromi asked, looking back at her.

"That cat spoke to me," she repeated, hearing her voice tremble a little.

Hiromi stared at her for a moment before saying with concern, "Hey, did you hit your head?"

Haru looked back to where she had last seen the cat, too busy thinking to really answer.

Hitting her head could definitely explain a talking cat.

The walk home was silent.

She was torn between thinking that maybe she had a concussion and had hallucinated it, and being absolutely certain that no, the cat really had spoken to her.

She walked wearily into her house with a gentle call of, "Mom, I'm home."

She slipped off her shoes and entered the living room area, jerking more fully awake when he mom called back, "Watch it! Quilt on the floor!"

She jumped back a little, looking down to see the quilt fabrics arranged in a haphazard half-finished design.

"Oh my, this pattern's a disaster," her mother sighed as Haru picked her way across the living room. "Could you make dinner tonight?"

Haru made it past the fabric-mine field and asked, "Hey, Mom? Do you think cats can talk?"

Her mother briefly glanced back at her from a few patches of fabric she was holding before turning back to her work.

"Sure. Why not?"

Haru walked over to the kitchen counter, leaned against it and groaned tiredly.

A moment passed. And then…

"What?" her mother asked in surprise.

"You've asked me that question before you know," her mother said later that night as she picked at her dinner.

"Yeah?" Haru asked.

"When you were just a little girl. You said, 'Mommy, did you know that I can talk to cats?'"

"I said that?" Haru replied in gentle surprise.

"Yes. You don't remember?" her mother questioned.

Haru tried to think back.

It was fuzzy, but she did remember a time some years ago when she had talked to a cat. Or kitten rather.

It had seemed to her then that the meows were more than just meows. There was a different pattern of inflection and modulation in the sounds, so that if you listened closely, you could hear more than what was easily obvious.

It had been hard at first, just a general kind of understanding of what the cat had meant, but it became much more distinct quite quickly.

She couldn't quite remember the whole conversation, but she did remember how dirty the little kitten had been, and how much it had liked the fish crackers she had given it.

"So I asked you," her mother said, bringing her attention back to the present, "what did the kitten say to you. And do you know what you said?" she asked, leaning forward slightly, "You said the kitten told you that life is tough." She smiled and started laughing gently, "I thought it was so adorable."

Dinner was finished in quiet contemplation.

She hadn't really had a lot of contact with cats, but when she really thought about it, she never really heard a lot of meowing. She knew there were a lot of stray cats around her neighborhood, but there wasn't any of those cat sounds that cats were known to make.

Although, there was a lot of quiet conversation about mice and fish. She had always just assumed it was other people.

She cleaned up the table in silence, did the dishes, and got ready for bed.

She sat down heavily on her bed with a sigh, still thinking about the strange lack of meows that she had never noticed before.

"So it looks like that actually happened," she said aloud. She leaned over and set her alarm clock.

She mentally shook herself.

"Let's forget about it, go to sleep, and get up in time for breakfast," she murmured to herself, laying down in bed and pulling the covers over herself.

She cuddled in, trying to think of anything else, when her mind suddenly caught on an odd fact.

It had been maybe seven or eight years since she had met that little kitten. So why was her hair the exact same length, when she had never had it cut?

It suddenly got louder outside.

Haru couldn't quite understand it, but it was several people complaining about something. There were also some strange chimes.

She climbed over to the window and looked out, seeing that it wasn't people that were complaining, but cats, and the chiming music was coming from a kind of feline precession that was coming down the street.

She sighed as she got out of bed. It was always better to face stuff head on when it came to you. It was obvious that they weren't going to let her just slip away from this situation, and unless she wanted the cats to get her mother's attention, she had better go out there to talk to them. She got out of bed and snuck down the stairs and out the front door.

The procession was coming closer and Haru was struck with a flash of doubt. Was this really the best option?

The black and white cats seemed a little violent.

Haru hid partway behind the gate post as the procession pulled up to her.

The main cat of the line seemed to be a very fluffy gray longhair that was sitting on a kind of rickshaw that was being pushed by two large cats. It was surrounded by four of the black and white cats that looked an awful lot like bodyguards.

She guessed some things were universal.

Besides them, there was a gray tabby that was holding a rather gaudy umbrella.

Like that was really needed at this time of night.

Finally, there were two cats that looked like officials. One was a short haired variegated gray cat wearing a purple robe and sunglasses, and was holding a thin stone tablet. He looked rather stern.

The other official looked goofy.

He had a tan body and with brown around his ears. He also had pink cheeks, like he was smiling too much.

The smile was pretty goofy too.

The long haired gray cat's rickshaw came to a stop in front of her, allowing her a better look at it.

He -she assumed it was a guy as only a guy could manage that much of a slob slouch so effortlessly- was sitting on a chair that was draped with a cloth embroidered with fish. There was also a kind of collar and armbands decorating him.

The cat holding the umbrella unfolded it and carefully positioned it over the seated cat.

That was just stupid.

The stern-looking cat carefully cleared his throat. Haru could tell it was a he because it was clearly not a 'she' kind of voice. "Uh-" he trailed off.

Haru glanced around the post in a quick peek.

"Uh, come over here?" he asked. His voice seemed kinder than his original expression.

Haru peeked again and pointed a finger at herself; wanting to be sure he was talking to her before she risked those security cats.

"Mmm-hmm. A bit closer," he urged.

Maybe this wouldn't be that bad.

Haru cast one more cautious look at the two closest security cats and came forward. She kept partially bent down so as to minimize the height difference between the cats and herself. She might be bigger, but if she somehow offended them, she wouldn't be able to fend them all off.

"Please allow me to present, our wise and incredibly magnificent ruler, King of Cat Kingdom, the Cat King!"

The robed cat didn't so much as say the introduction as announce it, as if Haru were in the presence of a royal court. Of course, since this was the Cat King, it was probably a fair assessment.

The Cat King directed slow lazy look at her, then looked away, as if she weren't entirely worthy of his notice. "That's me, babe," he said in an oddly rough but smooth voice.

"Let it be known that the cat whose life you saved today was the king's only son, Prince Lune. Given the magnitude of the matter, the King would like to express his gratitude to you in his own words," the robed cat said, again in that very formal manner.

Obviously, he was the king's steward.

"Oh."

Not the smartest sounding thing to say, but she couldn't take it back. Instead, she turned her attention back to the king.

The king seemed to let out a soft groan, as if he wasn't used to having to express gratitude to anyone.

"Thanks a lot, babe."

Haru couldn't help it. She started giggling. This seemed like an interesting kind of king.

Her eyes had closed when she began laughing, so when she heard a crinkling sound just inches in front of her face, she jerked back, but it was only the happy-faced cat holding out the scroll it had been carrying. For a moment she'd been frightened that the king had taken offense at her laughter.

"A list of what you shall receive," the robed cat said regally.

Haru reached out softly and took the scroll.

"Starting tomorrow, that perfectly marvelous array of gifts will be showered upon you," the happy-faced cat said enthusiastically, revealing himself to be male.

Haru turned back to the king, knowing that this was probably a big gesture on his part. "Thank you," she answered with a gentle smile.

The king "Hmmm"ed at her, and Haru got the sense that he was considering her in some way. "Ciao babe," he replied before turning his head away and closing his eyes.

The entire procession tightened back into formation and the musicians started playing again. Haru watched with interest as the cats paraded past with quiet dignity.

A/N: Reviews are appreciated, but please be constructive with any criticism you have. Don't just say that this or that is bad. Please say _why_ it's bad. Only when I know why something isn't good am I able to fix it.

I'm not a naturally fast writer, but I am fueled by reviews!


	2. A New Day

A NEW ADVENTURE

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of The Cat Returns.

A/N: I would like to give my sincere thanks to my beta YarningChick and her patience. This story is a rewrite from the movie, so the first few chapters will parallel the movie, and then it will move off into its own unique story. Reviews are appreciated.

**A NEW ADVENTURE**

_Chapter Two_

Haru walked to her desk and collapsed into it with a groan, letting her head land on the top with no real care in the manner of its landing.

This was definitely not one of her better days.

Her morning had been a continuing escapade consisting of a suddenly overgrown lawn, being chased by a flood of cats, and climbed on by mice – only to then have those mice pounced upon by said cats.

And while she was happy to help out Hiromi, she was equally apprehensive about her afternoon. Who knew what the cats would try next?

She was going to empty the room's trash bin when she caught sight of Machida walking with a pretty girl. They looked happy she thought, her eyes lingering as they smiled and laughed about some funny matter they had discussed.

The sting of impact on her shins brought her back to reality, but not in time to prevent her face from having an encounter with the dirt.

"Ow, that hurt!" she complained to no one as she pushed herself off the ground. Her attitude changed the moment she saw the scattered remnants of her chore laying strewn across the floor. "Look at the mess I made!" she scolded herself as she went to remedy said mess.

She straightened the bin and started throwing the trash back into its interior, but one crumpled piece of trash bounced off the rim, coming to rest in the grass just in front of the school's property-line fence.

She jogged after it and knelt down carefully, tucking her skirt behind her legs so as not to show anything improper. A flash of anger went through her and she snatched up the piece of trash and made to throw it down again, just to try and relieve some of her frustration.

She didn't complete the action however, the anger draining away as quickly as it had flooded her in the first place.

Her arm sank back down and she sighed loudly. "Who do I think I'm fooling anyway?" she asked herself gently.

Machida was as far beyond her reach as the moon. That girl he had been walking with was younger than her, but she was beautiful with a natural flowing grace.

Haru knew that girl would only become more beautiful with time, while herself…

She looked over to the pile of trash beside the school storage shed. It was a dumping ground for things from classrooms that were being thrown away, and at this moment had a broken mirror propped against an old roman-style bust.

The fractured mirror showed her a multitude of splintered hers, and not one of them showed beauty.

This is how it had always been.

She never felt pretty. Never really felt whole. Like the whole world functioned to a pulse that she couldn't even hear, let alone live by. She felt like she was adrift in the sea; or maybe like she was a fish trying to live with dolphins.

There was something wrong with her. All the world danced around her, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't match the beat.

All she was… was a likable outcast.

"There she is!"

There was suddenly a light pounding sound.

"Miss Haru! Miss Haru!!"

Confused, Haru dully turned to see who was calling her.

It was the goofy-faced cat from last night. The one who had given her the scroll. The scroll, Haru slowly remembered, that showed all the things the cats were doing to her. Cat-tails, catnip, mice and all.

Haru dashed over to him and, reaching through the bars and kneeling on the steps, grabbed his scruff and shook him a couple times for good measure, exclaiming, "You cats just never let up!" She punctuated each word with a shake.

"Well, we're so glad that you're pleased," he said, a little subdued.

"No I'm not!!" she yelled.

"What? But how can that be? The entire kingdom is working to make you happy," the cat said, twisting out of her grip and looking at her in genuine confusion, "and we all agreed that the gifts were just fabulous!"

"Don't you cats know anything?" Haru asked. "I hate mice, I don't eat them! I'm allergic to cat-tails and catnip does nothing for me!"

"Oh my-my-my-my-my-my…" the cat said worryingly. "I guess we made a little mistake," he groaned. "Well, this is embarrassing. The king will not be happy with me when he hears about this!" the cat said as he turned around and sort of slumped in on himself.

Haru felt a flash of pity. She supposed all the things she'd gotten _would_ be good gifts for a cat. They were only trying to be nice to her; they didn't know any better. And she'd just taken her frustrations out on him for no real good reason other than he was there.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings?" she asked in a softer voice. "I over-reacted, didn't I?"

The cat kind of waved it off, but Haru felt she should explain her actions as that was the only polite thing to do after the way she had acted. Her own shoulders slumped down with a sigh as she mentally berated herself for her actions. "I've just been on edge recently. Things have not been going well for me," she lamented.

"Oh? Really? What kind of things?" the cat asked, sounding genuinely interested as he turned to face her.

"I don't know. Everything; you name it," she sighed, shifting herself to sit more comfortably on the little steps and closing her eyes.

"I'm quite shocked to hear this. But I suppose even pretty girls like you have problems like everyone else.

Haru's eyes jumped open in surprise. Pretty? Her?

"What?" she asked, turning to face the cat. "Stop, that's enough," she laughed, blushing and waving the compliment away even though she couldn't stop smiling from having been told it.

"It is nowhere near enough," the cat said, sounding quite sure of himself. "The kingdom of cats has vowed not to rest until you are completely satisfied!"

That made Haru drop her smile. "Don't tell me there's more!" she asked, worried about what else the cats were going to 'give' her.

"Yes," the cat confirmed. "How would you like to have your own private tour of the Spectacular Kingdom of Cats?" the cat said proudly, gesturing widely with his paws.

"Are you serious?" Haru asked, leaning toward the cat.

"I'm _sure_ you'll love it there. It's a marvelous place; great food, fabulous scenery, and the entire kingdom is ready and waiting to welcome you!"

Maybe that wouldn't be that bad a gift. It sounded like a nice place to visit.

"And that's not all!" the cat continued. "Because the king is so taken with you, he has decided to award you the most valuable gift in all the Cat Kingdom. You will become his daughter-in-law and marry Prince Lune!"

Haru, who had only been partially listening as she distractedly just nodded her head, finally realized what the cat had said. "Huh?!" she exclaimed. "Oh no, don't even think about trying to pull that one on me! There's _no way_ I can marry a cat!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself! The royal family thinks you're good enough, and the prince is _so cool_!"

Haru cast another look at the cat, but her eyes looked past him, back to the broken mirror with the many broken hers. Each one fractured and incomplete, each one totally devoid of the ability to fulfill their dreams.

"He's cool?" she asked, looking in the mirror.

The cat made an, "Mmmhmmm" in the affirmative, making Haru turn away and prop her head in her hand.

"Who knows, maybe I'll fit in better with a bunch of cats," she murmured thoughtfully. They all seemed to like her. That was good, and she did seem to have an affinity with them. Maybe she could live by their rhythm. "You get to lie around all day, don't you?"

"Why, of course!"

"A cat's life sounds great; eat all the food you want, take naps in the sun, forget about all your problems," she mused aloud.

Still, it seemed like the cowards' way out.

She giggled lightly, "But me getting married to some cat prince? That's just ridiculous! Right, cat?"

The cat however didn't seem to have heard her last statement. He jumped up onto a wall that ran perpendicular to the school gate and turned to look back at her, sitting up on his hindlimbs and saying, "Fantastic! We'll collect you tonight then." He nodded his head and started running away along the wall.

Haru jumped up and protested quickly, "No! I didn't agree to that!" He kept moving further away, making her call a, "Hey, wait!"

She tried to move after him, but tripped and fell into the pile of trash with the mirror and the roman bust, landing with a cry of, "Ow! That hurt!"

She turned to get up, and saw the many hers in the mirror again. It didn't matter that they were all broken. As long as they tried, that was all that mattered.

"I don't want to marry a cat!" she exclaimed, climbing out of the trash pile. "But what can I do to stop them?" she asked nobody.

So she was quite surprised when a voice actually answered her.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Haru had followed the instructions the anonymous voice had given her, and had found them to be, while simple, quite accurate. To find the big white cat at the CrossRoads and ask him to lead her to someplace called the Cat Bureau. True, sitting on the big white cat probably wasn't the best way to find him, but he didn't seem to mind too much as he was leading her to the Cat Bureau, although at first it felt like he was just leading her on a wild goose chase as punishment for the whole sitting on him thing. It wasn't long however, before she realized something.

There was a pattern to their wanderings, Haru noted, like their physical movement from one alley, to a roof, to another alley were the combination to a lock that encompassed the whole world; and with each successive leg of their seemingly random trip through the back alleys, one world seemed to fade and the beat of another was quickly becoming more prevalent.

As they exited one final alley, the pulse she was familiar with vanished altogether, leaving her with only the new one that felt oddly soothing.

The big cat ran on all four to an archway, then stood up on his hind legs, like it was the most natural thing in the world, making Haru wonder if the world wasn't quite what she had always thought it was.

Or maybe, it was just that the world was more than the humans currently understood.

She approached the archway carefully, examining the structure with an assessing gaze, reaching out one hand to trail delicately along the wall as she walked through it.

It was a relatively small archway, the peak being only a foot above her head, but it was perfectly sized for the miniature town circle that lay just beyond it.

Haru was reminded of children's playhouses, although these were three or four times bigger than the type children usually played with. They were also extraordinarily well-kept; each having interesting architecture and cheerful faces and colors.

They were all arranged carefully in a circle, with an elegantly carved stone pillar in the center

She turned her attention back to the large cat as he opened up the mailbox in front of a small English-looking house with white walls and faded lime green trimming. He pulled out a cat-sized newspaper and looked inside briefly before shutting the mailbox door in a gesture so normal that Haru got dejavu at this very human seeming behavior. He paid her no attention whatsoever as he unrolled the quarter-folded paper, glanced at the top, then let the bottom half of the paper unfold by itself, and finally walked over to a wicker chair that was in front of one of the house's window and slumped into it lazily.

Haru watched him in silence for a moment, wondering if he was going to say or do something else, before finally walking closer to him and crouched down slightly to ask, "Excuse me, where's the Cat Bureau?"

The large cat opened to the center of the paper and firmly ignored her.

"Um, hello?" Haru asked. "I need some help right now," she said trying to stress the importance of her plea, "or I'm gonna get dragged off to the Cat Kingdom."

The cat didn't move.

But there was a glimmer of light in something behind him, in the window.

Haru turned her attention to the vague figure on the other side of the glass, slowly distinguishing the features of a very feline looking figure, it's eyes sparkling and shimmering with light in such a way that the figure seemed to, at first, be looking at some distant point beyond her, and then, suddenly, directly at her.

Haru took several startled steps back and looked at the building again.

"Could this… be it?" she asked herself.

The house seemed ordinary enough, quaint in a very comfortable and welcoming way.

Then, light unexpectedly sprung from every window in the town circle, reflecting the days last rays, all of them centering on the little English house, making it look like a house a saint might live in, considering the halo it now had.

"Enough, Baron! Turn it off," the large cat complained. "No one's impressed with your cheesy lightshow!"

Well, that wasn't quite true because Haru certainly was.

The light faded away slowly, like it was loath to leave; but the house was only in shadow for a few moments as the streetlight beside the house clicked on by itself, followed by various lights inside the dwelling.

The doors slowly opened and a figure was outlined from the light behind it, causing a lane of fallen light to reach for Haru like it was trying to embrace them both.

The figure debonairly took an elegant step forward, and the pause between them faded away.

It was a gentleman cat. There was really no other way to describe it.

He wore a casual grey suit with a red vest and a blue tie. He carried a cane in one hand and a top hat rested on his head.

He came to a stop in front of her and politely removed his hat and held it to his chest, like she was a real lady instead of a schoolgirl, and revealing him to be an orange tabby with a crème underside that stretched from just under his eyes to disappear in his shirt.

"Good evening," he said with a hint of an English accent, "Welcome to the Bureau."

Haru leaned so far forward that she almost fell over, but managed to catch herself before suffering another faceplant with the ground. It only added to her embarrassment when she realized that the words she had been thinking, she had actually spoken aloud in a whisper.

"Wow, you're cool!"

"Thank you," he answered, his voice higher than the ones she was used to, but smoother; like butter to her ears.

And just like that, something clicked inside her.

"In case you haven't noticed, you're now in a world quite different from your own," the cat told her. "This is a refuge for Creations." Haru could hear the capital letter on that somehow. "Whenever someone creates something, with all of their heart, then that Creation is given a soul, you see? Like me, and Toto there." The cat gentleman looked up at the central pillar, prompting Haru to turn as well.

Atop the pillar was the figure of a bird, but the most notable thing about it was the fact that it was shining like silver light. It started moving, slowly becoming less rigid as it spread first one then the other wing open, flapping a few times to settle it's feathers as it turned a rich black.

A crow?

It folded it's wings and hopped to turn on it's pedestal to look at them.

"That's…that's…" Haru groped for the word. She knew that. What was that?

"That is Toto; a stone statue with a soul," the cat gentleman finished for her, although that wasn't what she had been going to say.

Wait… what had she been going to say?

"I see you have a visitor today Baron," the crow said in a deep but pleasing voice, "how unusual."

"Indeed," the cat agreed, "she's quite a fetching one too."

"Did he say Baron?" Haru asked, turning back to the handsome cat.

The cat turned to face her as well, saying, "I am Baron Humbert Von Gikkingen. The artisan who Created me gave me that title."

"I'll just call you Baron," Haru smiled.

"So, let's get down to business," Baron said, walking to stand directly in front of her. "You say you're having a bit of trouble from those cats from the Cat Kingdom."

"Uh… Yes, that's right," Haru started, surprised that she had forgotten, even for a second. "Just yesterday I saved their prince from getting hit by a truck and now the entire Cat Kingdom won't stop trying to repay me."

"I see," Baron mused, bringing one gloved hand to his chin.

"Hah!" the large white cat laughed as he got off the wicker chair, throwing his paper down. "Serves you right! Thought you'd help the poor kitty, did you?"

Haru turned to stare at him.

"You should have minded your own business, lady," the cat groused as he walked toward the three of them.

Why was he angry?

"Muta, what in the world is your problem; this girl saved one of your own kind. You should be grateful, you idiot," the crow, Toto, said as he opened his wings, flew down and skimmed by the large cat to land on the roof of the Cat Bureau house.

The large cat, Muta?, turned to keep facing Toto before turning back to face her again.

"Idiot?" he asked, "Now she's in trouble for it, isn't she? So she was stupid, that's all I'm saying."

Was he right?

"And where did you come across her Muta?" Baron asked, shifting his head slightly to look at the person-er-cat he was addressing.

"At the CrossRoads. Somehow she knew about the Cat Bureau."

Baron gave a contemplative sound and turned back to her.

"That's 'cause," '_oh they were just going to love this,'_ "a voice told me about it. I don't know whose voice it was though."

"A voice?" Baron asked, sounding interested.

"You're hearing voices?" Muta demanded, "Check yourself into a loony bin; don't bother us with your mental-ahhhh!"

He'd cut off into a yell because Toto had taken the opportunity to swoop down and bounce off the large cat's back, pushing him over but not really hurting him.

"Knock it off!" the fat feline demanded.

"You knock it off! Quite being so _catty_!" the crow spat back.

"Don't try that again," Muta warned, though it was pretty much a useless warning because Toto had already started another dive.

"You guys," Haru protested quickly. "I'll just leave; I don't want to cause any trouble!" She started forward to stop their fight, but Baron stepped in front of her.

"I didn't get your name," he said smoothly.

"Uh-Haru. It's… Haru," she stuttered slightly.

"Well, Miss Haru," Baron began, "please, step into the Bureau," he continued, leading the way. "Come along now. Don't worry about them."

Haru turned back to look at the two that were still fighting, squabbling with each other.

Well, when in Rome…

She quickly followed Baron to the building. She was obviously too big to just walk in, so, with one last glance around, she knelt down and carefully placed her bag in the house, to one side of the door. "This looks close," she breathed as she carefully maneuvered her torso through the small double doors. She glanced up and marveled at the decor.

"Wow! This place is beautiful!" she complemented, looking around in admiration. It was also quite a bit larger inside than she'd originally estimated.

"Sit wherever you like; make yourself at home," Baron offered as he hung up his hat and coat before walking over to a cupboard closer to her set with tea. "Milk with your tea, or lemon?" he asked as he took down some teacups and saucers.

"Milk, please," Haru answered, moving more into the little house, although she had to pause to get her hips unwedged when one of the doors was closed with her movement.

"Good choice," Baron replied, preparing her tea like the perfect host.

Haru found she could almost stand up in the little house, although she had to crouch so as not to hit her head on a beautiful chandelier. "You have great taste, Baron," she said, admiring the decoration.

She carefully seated herself on a rather sturdy looking low chest, being sure to smooth her skirt behind her legs as she sat.

"Here you are," Baron said, offering her a small teacup and saucer.

"Thank you," Haru smiled as she took the offering from him, giggling a little at the item, "How cute!"

"That's my own personal blend of tea. It's a little different each time, so I can't guarantee the taste."

Haru sipped from the small cup, letting the liquid sit in her mouth for a moment before swallowing.

"Wow!" she marveled, staring at the cup like it was magic, "That's the best tea I've ever tasted!"

"Then you're lucky," Baron commented.

"Just tastes like boiled grass to me," Muta said as he slid in the door and closed it behind him.

The balcony window opened and Toto hopped in and perched on the banister, as he rebuffed the large cat with, "Tea is too refined for your crude taste buds."

"At least I don't eat worms," Muta countered as he moved to sit on the elegant cat-sized couch.

"Muta, have a seat and tell us what you know about the Kingdom of Cats," Baron invited, seating himself in a lounge chair with his own cup of tea.

"It's a dangerous place," Muta said, sounding very serious suddenly. "You shouldn't set foot in there if you don't believe in yourself."

"That's a very good point," Baron replied.

Haru glanced around as she told them, "They said, not only will they kidnap me, they're going to force me to get married to the king's son, Prince Lune."

"So why don't you do it kid? You'll be set for life!" Muta gloated as he leaned back in the couch.

"Are you crazy?" Haru asked him.

"What? It might not be so bad!"

"That's ridiculous," Toto… well, ridiculed.

"She won't know until she tries it," Muta replied.

"Now, then," Baron interrupted smoothly setting down his teacup, like the two of them bickering was a common thing. Actually… maybe it was.

He stood up in a sharp motion and continued, "I have always entertained the idea of paying a visit to the Kingdom of Cats. Sounds like now is the time."

"Have a nice trip, Baron. Hope you make it back some day," Muta said glibly.

"You're coming with me," Baron replied, somewhere between sounding authoritative and ever-suffering.

"Nah, I'll pass; but thanks for thinking of me," Muta declined.

"Baron, you're not going to take _her_ there, are you?" Toto asked.

"We can't leave her unprotected," Baron said, pacing in an irregular pattern. "But if Muta wants to stay here, he can keep an eye on her."

"No way!" Muta protested, "You can't leave her here! I'm not baby-sitting!"

"Why?" Baron questioned. "Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not really."

They were fighting again, Haru thought. She just kept causing them trouble…

"Listen," she said softly as she set down her teacup, "I'll just go home."

All three of them looked at her in surprise.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, rising from her seat. "I didn't mean to cause you so much trouble."

Haru moved to pick up her bag, trying to keep her voice even as she continued. "Muta's right. It's my fault for getting involved with those cats in the first place." She took a deep breath to help steady her resolve. "I'll figure something out."

If there was one thing Haru hated, it was causing trouble for others. It didn't seem fair to put your problems on someone else and telling them to deal with it. You had to be responsible for yourself and your own actions.

Maybe she shouldn't have even come here…

"Well, then," Baron said, "so sorry the Cat Bureau couldn't be of any help to you."

Haru sighed again, silently this time, as she reached for the doors.

Muta groaned and then said, "All right, all right! I'll watch the little baby."

"Good kitty," Toto gloated.

"Then it's all settled," Baron said in a very final tone, "You can stay right here with Muta."

Haru looked back at the felines; confused that the wind had changed so suddenly.

"Are you sure? I'm not causing you too much trouble? I don't want to get anyone angry."

"It's our job to help people with their troubles; and don't you worry about Muta," Baron assured her, as he walked forward. "He likes to complain _a lot_, but actually he has a heart of gold."

That was greeted by an annoyed, "Hhmphh!" from Muta.

Maybe it was okay.

"I see," Haru thought aloud, "So he's just a big softie."

"You could say that," Baron agreed.

"And this it the thanks I get," Muta lamented with an ever-suffering sigh.

Best to give thanks where thanks are due…

"Thanks for your help, Moo-ta."

Uh-oh. That didn't come out right, Haru thought with a gasp as she winced and covered her mouth.

"What!?" Muta demanded. "Moo?" he asked, turning around and leaning over the back of the couch. "Are you saying that I'm a fat cow?"

"No!" Haru hastened to reassure him. "You're just fat!"

Oh great. That wasn't what she'd meant to say either. Open mouth, insert foot. It really didn't help that Toto was snickering above them.

Muta stood up with dignity and declared, "I'm outta here!"

"That's too bad, because I was just going to get out some angel fruit cake I have in the cupboard," Baron said casually.

"Where in the cupboard?" Muta asked as he quickly scurried over to the mentioned piece of furniture.

"Uhh, it's in the upper right shelf," Baron directed, following Muta.

"Why didn't you say so?" Muta said, sounding very pleased with himself as he opened the directed door and retrieved the item. He went to set it down on Baron's desk, elbowing a stack of books out of the way.

Baron managed to snatch the inkwell off the desk before it was knocked over as well, saying, "I think our guest deserves a _proper_ afternoon tea."

"This calls for some of my special mulberries!" Toto exclaimed as he turned around and hopped out the window.

"You're too much, Baron. A tea party and everything?" Haru asked. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Baron had just set out three plates and Muta was busy cutting the cake.

"Yes, there is something" he said, turning around and approaching her. "What I need you to do is to learn just one thing; always believe in yourself. Do this, and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."

Haru smiled softly at his words, even as he was called away by Muta to help with the cake. There was just something that made her feel at ease here. She wasn't sure if it was Baron, or this world, but something uncomfortable inside of her was relaxing, like a constantly clenched muscle was beginning to ease.

"Who knows?" Haru asked herself. "Maybe this is the world I belong in."

A knock at the door drew her attention and she hopped over, wondering aloud, "Hey, is that Toto?"

She opened to door to reveal the smiling goofy cat from before.

He spread his arms wide and announced, "It's time to go to our kingdom, Miss Haru!"

"You again!" Haru gasped, recoiling in alarm.

Cats started flooding in and circling her feet, completely ignoring her protests. They finally managed to unbalance her and she landed on the soft backs of multiple cats. Then, they started moving with her out the doors.

She managed to grab the wall with one hand and her bag with the other, using it to take swipes at the cats in an attempt to escape. However, a crafty and well placed paw with claws extended distracted her just long enough for her to lose her grip on the wall and out the door she went, bag and all.

Still armed, she used her bag to bap away cats until one jerked the bag away from her, leaving her riding on a carpet of cats.

Oh, great. Was there even a point to coming to the Cat Bureau?!

A/N: I know that so far there doesn't seem to be anything special about this story, but I ask you readers to stick with me. There's going to be a great story twist, and then this will be a story that stands on its own.

For anyone who's still reading this author's note, I'll explain why I'm starting my story like this.

I love how the movie depicts Haru's character, and I had a great idea for a story, so I'm starting the story just like the movie, using most everything the same to firmly establish Haru's character, mostly because I really don't think it's possible to improve on how the movie did it. It will, however, diverge at the tower scenes and be a unique story. From there, it will be all my idea, so please give reviews, whether good or bad. Either kind helps me stay determined to continue writing, and with my fleeting attention span that's a definite help.


	3. My Palace?

Disclaimer: I own no part of The Cat Returns.

AN: My deepest thanks goes to YarningChick who seems to have limitless patience! Thank you for being so kind and for being my beta!

As for everyone who has waited so patiently for this story to continue, here is the next chapter! And don't worry, I completely plan on finishing this story!

Please read the note at the bottom too!

**A NEW ADVENTURE**

_Chapter Three_

Haru blinked blindly against the white fog that surrounded her, which seemed to envelope all the world. She wearily climbed to her feet, but the motion brought her attention sharply to the pain she was in.

"Oh, that hurt!" she exclaimed, rubbing her lower back, trying to massage the pain out of the muscles. It didn't work very much, but she really didn't have the time to spend on it. She glanced around herself, hoping for some feature to present itself from the fog that might give her a clue as to her location. "Where am I anyway? I can't see a thing."

She took a few steps forward, although as she had no idea what direction she was facing she could just as easily have been going back.

She sensed more than heard the figure behind her and she quickly turned to see Muta standing there, as large and immovable as a mountain. "Muta?" she asked. "What happened, you're enormous!"

He looked down at her and grumbled, not unkindly, "No kiddo, you got smaller."

Got smaller? Haru thought. Well, only one way to find out what he meant. "Why's that?" she asked.

"Because we're here, that's why," he replied, his voice grave, his eyes returning to being focused at something in the distance.

Haru turned to look in the direction he was staring at and saw the mists beginning to thin. Slowly, like the parting of the pre-dawn fog vanishes before the rising sun, the mists cleared, revealing a massive expanse of meadows.

There were small huts in the fields before her, and the only truly impressive building lay in the distance; a castle sat on an island within a perfectly round lake. There lay, behind the castle, five towers. Four in the shape of a square and the fifth being in the center of the box. The last was by far the largest, being easily three times as high as the others. Its tip was obscured by a shining circle of light that seemed to mirror the lake.

"That's the Kingdom of Cats?" she asked, gazing over the fields, a small smile growing over her lips.

She knew that Baron was coming.

How, she wasn't sure, but she knew, just as surely as she knew the sky was blue and that water is wet. It was just one of those immutable facts of the universe.

And, well, she was here wasn't she? She couldn't undo having arrived, but she could probably reason with the King to let her go, once he understood how she felt. Until then, she thought, she could enjoy this strange and undeniably beautiful Kingdom.

After all, if she'd been kidnapped to Hawaii, she'd still have liked to go swimming before being rescued, which Baron would do if push came to shove.

She ignored Muta's grumblings and went jogging up to one of the huts. "Wow!" Haru marveled. "There are cats all over the place!" She watched two cats dart away, frightened by her voice.

Muta came up behind her. "What did you expect? This is their Kingdom!"

Haru couldn't help the smile that grew across her face, and just because she felt like it, she dashed away through the fields.

"Hey you!" Muta called, but she ignored him as she jumped and tumbled in the tall grasses.

"Ahhh!" she sighed. "It's so relaxing here." She stretched out lazily and let out a deep breath of comfort, closing her eyes.

"Hey! We have to find a way outta here fast, Chickie," Muta reminded her from nearby.

When had he come over to her? she wondered.

"Relax," Haru told him, melting into the bed of grass she lay one, not really caring what he was saying.

"Listen! Kid!"

"I've never felt so at home in my life," she marveled. The sun was perfect, warm and not too bright, and the grasses here didn't itch like the grasses at home did; and she hadn't sneezed once, even though she knew there must be cattails here.

Everything was absolutely and completely perfect. The concept of why Muta was worrying seemed odd now.

"Hurry! You've got to get out of here!" a voice said, and it was so melodious that it jerked Haru's eyes open and prompted her to sit up and look in the direction the voice had come from.

A beautiful white cat was coming towards her saying, "You must leave; you don't belong here!"

"Wow!" Haru gasped, taking in the snow white fur and the crystal blue eyes, as well as the ribbon around her neck. "You're beautiful," she said, "Everything is better here; even the cats!"

Maybe this place wouldn't be so terrible.

"Quickly, you don't have much time! Please Miss Haru, before it's too late!" the white cat pleaded.

"Wait a minute," Haru wondered aloud, "How do you know my name?"

From somewhere behind her, the voice of the stupid looking cat called out, "Miss Haru! Miss Haru!"

Well that answered that question.

"Oh, not him again," she groaned as she turned towards his voice, finding, not only him, but a procession of cats approaching her.

"There you are," he panted. "I finally found you! We seem to have accidentally dropped you upon entry," he said between breaths. "Your fat servant exceeded our weight limit, I'm afraid."

How could he say something so insulting with that stupid smile on his face?

"Fat servant!" Muta started yelling, his tone thoroughly indignant.

"No, no! This is Muta!" she told the cat, "He's a friend."

"Oh, that's nice," he replied, not sounding like he really cared. He came forward and tugged on her hand with both of his paws, urging her up as he continued. "C'mon! Everyone's dying to meet their new princess! Fat friend, you can come too." The last part was almost said as an afterthought.

"I don't know about this," Haru hesitated, speaking over Muta's grumbling about doing something unholy with the cat's tail that was probably physically impossible.

"Mustn't dawdle! The King is waiting in your castle!" the cat told her as she was drawn to her feet from his gentle pulling.

"_My_ castle?" she asked, staring at him.

"The Royal Palace," he said, like it was obvious as he released her hand with one paw to point at the castle that lay between the shining blue of the circle lake and the equally shining light of the circle above.

"My castle," she repeated, more in shock than from needing an answer.

"Well, soon enough," the cat said.

Haru stared at the castle, deep in thought. She was here wasn't she? And since the King had brought her here he could probably get her back home. And it wouldn't do to upset your ride home, would it?

"Hey!" Muta said, "Where do you think you're going?!"

"The King's waiting for me," she told him, "It's rude not even to say hi to him."

"Have you completely lost your mind kid!?" Muta demanded.

"This way," the eternally smiling cat said, tugging her forward.

"Wait a minute," she said, resisting his pull and looking to the beautiful white cat that was… bowing? "Can she come with us?" she asked.

He released her hand and walked closer to the white cat, his voice loosing all of it's playful tone as he demanded, "Who're you?"

"I am Yuki," the white cat said, her head never rising, "I serve at the Royal Table."

"Oh, so you're employed by the King then," he said, turning to Haru. "She works at the castle, Miss Haru, you'll see her there. Come!" he said, resuming his urging as he gently drug her away.

"See you soon Yuki!" Haru said. Muta seemed to be trying to sneak away, so she stretched enough to grab his tail and drag him along with her, ignoring his protests.

She was lead over to where the procession had waited patiently for her and was directed to be seated on a rickshaw not entirely unlike the one the King had been riding when she met him. The seat was wider and allowed Muta to sit with her, but it was being pushed by the same two cats as before. While she didn't really like being catered to, she was thankful of the ride as her shoes seemed to be pinching her rather terribly.

The journey to the castle was pleasant enough, with the only truly disgusting thing being the floating cat eyeballs that hovered in circles around the castle.

She was lead into the castle, which seemed to be decorated with a fish motif, until they came upon two curtains.

"You'll need to change your attire before meeting with the King," the silly cat said as he motioned towards one of the curtains.

The one he directed her to had two female cats waiting on either side of the doorway, one a light pink and the other a gentle violet. The curtain was pulled aside from within the room by a pale blue cat.

"I get new clothes?" Haru asked, excited. Okay, she was a girl. She couldn't help it.

The purple cat stepped forward and halted Muta with a polite, "Please wait here, sir."

"I'm the baby-sitter!" Muta groused back.

"Back off!" Haru muttered to him, the playful tone in her voice taking the sting out of her words, before dashing through the parted curtains.

Within were several racks filled with dresses that had a definite medieval theme. Each were beautifully made and the level of detail on them surprised Haru greatly. Not because she expected the cats to do poor work, but because she had difficulty imagining just how they could do such intricate stitching when they had paws, which lacked the opposable thumb that seemed so crucial to such fine work.

She put this quandary out of her mind as she admired the workmanship - or workcatship - of the gowns.

They presented to her a yellow dress which seemed a little old-fashioned, but Haru figured it was what was in fashion in fashion in the Cat Kingdom. Accompanying it was a creme colored slip that, if it were a shade lighter, or made of a fabric that was even a hair thinner, would have been to sheer for decency. As it was, it merely managed to be both incredibly delicate and properly covering.

It seemed strange to Haru that the slip seemed more elegant than the dress which covered it.

She'd taken off her school uniform and slid into the slip when her eye caught on a familiar sight in the corner of the room. Her school bag. She snatched it up before any of the three maids could pull it out of her reach.

She dug around in it for a moment before pulling out her slippers.

Okay, they weren't actually slippers, just small shoes that were simple and required no intricate tying. She'd had them forever and they had always been the most comfortable shoes she had. She couldn't even remember where she'd gotten them.

She took off her shoes and slipped into their replacements, almost sighing as the pinching immediately was relieved.

The maids helped her into the outer-dress, which actually looked quite elegant when it was being worn.

"Hey, not bad," she commented as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Oh, Miss Haru! Why; you're so lucky!" the pink cat said, marveling.

"Every girl in the Cat Kingdom has a crush on Prince Lune," the blue cat commented as she placed a necklace around Haru's throat.

"I'm sure you'll be very happy together!" the violet cat told her as she moved to attach a large heart-shaped wire frame behind her head.

"You think?" Haru asked them.

Wait a minute. Happy together?

"No wait!" she said, stopping the violet cat. "I don't think I wanna do this!"

"Wow!" came an exclamation nearer the curtain, "Don't you look good!"

Haru turned to the curtain as the three maids demurely retreated away.

It was the King. "Welcome to the Royal family, babe!" he congratulated.

All three of the maids were halfway bowing, so Haru felt that, especially as she was declining his offer, she should show respect where it was obviously due. Of course, with the awkward dress, her curtsey was entirely graceless and little more than a dignified wobble. However, the king's eyes seemed to be closed at that moment so he may not have witnessed her clumsiness.

"I really didn't save your son expecting an award. And visiting your kingdom is payment enough," she said, getting straight to the point. She'd learned her lesson with the stupid cat, Natori. With cats, it was best to be direct. "So King," she continued, trying to keep her voice as grateful and still decided as possible, "I'm really flattered by all this, but I don't want to get married."

"You what?" the king asked, eyes bugging out of his head, although Haru was beginning to think that was a normal expression for him and not from any kind of shock. "I was told you had already consented."

The cat steward came into the room through the door-curtain, standing directly beside and behind the king. "She has consented," he said. "That's what I was told."

The King grinned widely, causing his eyes to close, and Haru noted for the first time that the purple jewel that sat on his forehead in place of a crown followed suit, making it look like he had three eyes.

"What does the prince say?" she asked, trying to change her tact. Hopefully the prince would be with her on this topic. With how dense the king seemed she'd need support to get out of this.

"He is not around; he is away on official business," the steward informed her.

Well that took out her chances of having an ally in this. She quickly contained a groan as she tried another line of reasoning on why this wedding was a bad idea. "Look," she began, clenching he fists to try and keep herself determined, "first of all, we don't really know each other, and second of all, he's a cat, right?" she asked. "And I'm not. So clearly I can't marry him."

Ha! That seemed like a good way to get out of this.

The King and the steward both looked at her with interest, then turned to each other with a shared little snigger that actually creeped Haru out more than the whole kidnapping thing had.

The steward turned back to her, wide smile dominating his face as he stated, "That has already been taken care of."

The King grinned widely and told her, "You're half cat already."

Her ears perked at that. Half cat? He couldn't be serious.

Wait a second. Her ears _perked_? She brought her hands up to feel where the sensation of perking had taken place, noticing that it was decidedly higher than where her ears were supposed to be. A few pats confirmed that, yes, they were the cupped and pointed ears of a cat and they were now situated on the top of her head, rather than the sides. It also told her that they were covered with a very fine fur. Further investigation provided her with the fact that her face was also covered in that same soft fur.

She turned her head, hoping to catch her reflection in a mirror, when two of the maid came forward, supporting a large circular mirror between them. "See, Miss Haru?" one said, helpfully.

Haru took several steps closer to the glass, hardly believing what she was seeing. It was her face all right, but it was covered in tan fur that was so lightly colored, that it almost looked a peachy-pink. Her nose was completely cat and her mouth didn't look quite right. She turned her face this way and that, amazed at the change. "Look at that," she gasped softly, "I'm a cat."

She brought her paws up to her face and firmly patted her cheeks, then simply stared at her reflection.

Her reaction probably could have been better, but honestly, she was too surprised for tact.

She screamed.

AN: I love fairies, and I know this doesn't really have much to do with this story, but if anyone who reads this knows of any good fairy pictures (especially those with interesting wings!) could you please email or review me the web addresses for them? You'll get a special cookie! A sneak preview of the chapter where this story really starts to diverge and a notice of thanks on my next posted chapter!


	4. The Dance

Disclaimer: I own no part of The Cat Returns.

AN: My deepest thanks goes to YarningChick who seems to have limitless patience! Thank you for being so kind and for being my beta!

As for everyone who has waited so patiently for this story to continue, here is the next chapter! And don't worry, I completely plan on finishing this story!

**A NEW ADVENTURE**

_Chapter Four_

Pushing aside the king and his steward, she dashed out of the dressing room and into the room directly beside it, yelling, "Mutaaaaa!" Of course, as she was immediately confronted with the very dead-looking figure of Muta suspended in some kind of giant purple gel filled bowl, she screamed again.

"W-w-what happened!?" she stuttered in horror.

Natori appeared beside her and said, "I'm afraid he had a weakness for catnip jelly. He saw the bowl and dove right in."

Muta… was dead. Because of her. More than her being a cat, more than her being stuck here, more than here even maybe being doomed to marry the prince, her eyes began filling with tears because she had caused his death.

"You weren't supposed to die. It's all my fault," she whispered. Knowing it was futile, but doing it anyway, she threw herself against the side of the glass bowl, pounding on it with one paw. "Don't leave me like this, Muta," she wept, begging for him to come back, and be all right again.

.

"Well then, time for the celebration," Natori said calmly, laying a gentle paw on her back, presumably to lead her away.

She shoved him away, exclaiming, "No! I won't leave him!" The slim brunette gripped the giant bowl possessively, knowing that Muta's memory deserved at least that small consideration from her.

"Then we'll bring him with us," he said reasonably.

It kind of became a blur after that. They rolled the bowl away and she went with it. The maids somehow managed to pry her away and finish dressing her, even while she was wailing, and she was seated beside the king at a banquet table, with the Muta-bowl directly behind her.

She knew crying didn't help anything, but really, what could help her in this situation? She was half cat now. Even if she managed to get away, she didn't know how to leave the Cat Kingdom, and even if she did, she'd still be half cat in the human world. And while crying didn't help, it certainly didn't hurt anything either.

Music began, and light laughter echoed around her, but she was consumed by her tears, which, despite the pain in her heart, were rapidly running out. Finally, no more would come and she was left staring at her paws.

Yes, paws.

She lifted one in front of her and wondered, with the listless curiosity of the lost, how she would be able to survive without thumbs.

There was a raw fish in front of her and it was as good a thing to experiment with as any. She picked it up by the tail, surprised at how well she could grasp it without a thumb, and released it, letting the tail flop back onto the plate. A few repeats proved that the difficulty of grasping the fish did not increase, which prompted her to more closely examine how her fingers worked together now. All four of her gripping fingers were substantially shorter, and they seemed to function as a whole rather than individually. The place where her thumb had been gave way to only a bump, which she wondered if it would fade away completely over time.

The King was yelling something, which was followed by a silence, but Haru didn't care enough to even wonder as to what had upset him now. At least, she didn't care until a figure came to stand directly in front of her. She looked up with the listless curiosity of the doomed and saw a handsome orange and cream tom in a blue cape, feathered hat, and silver mask.

"Excuse me," he said, voice familiar, "would you care to dance?"

"Oh no," she declined. "I'm a meow-sy dancer." It took her only a second to realize exactly what she'd just said. "Oh no!" she groaned, dropping her head into her paws. "Now I'm even starting to talk like a cat!"

He extended a white gloved hand in front of her, a silent offer. "Just trust me," he whispered softly, the warm voice sincere.

On second glance, the hand was actually a real hand, not a paw like the one she placed in his, making her wonder if he was also a human who had been trapped here. She glanced up at him, thinking that at least there was one person who might understand how she felt.

He led her to the center of the room and music hesitatingly started playing an unfamiliar waltz. The dance he began was gentle and easy, even for a poor dancer, but it soon began incorporating some spins and dips that Haru found herself performing without flaw, surprising herself. She closed her eyes, falling into the rhythm of the dance, and very quickly, there was nothing else except the waltz. She didn't pay much attention to what she was doing, even when she began hearing amazed whispers around her. Right now, she was light as a feather twirling in the breeze, a feeling that felt strangely reminiscent. The tom's hands were gentle and grounding at the same time, the only thing tying her to the floor beneath them.

For the first time in her life, Haru felt free.

Maybe life as a cat wouldn't be so bad.

At that thought, she felt a slight tickling sensation on either side of her little feline nose.

"Careful Haru," the tom's voice warned suddenly, drawing her attention and causing her to open her eyes in order to see his face… and her new whiskers. "Don't lose yourself."

The phrase seemed reminiscent of another cat.

"Believe in who you are," he said, leading her through a twirl. "I said so before, didn't I?" he asked looking at her with verdant eyes.

"Then you must be…" she gasped in slow realization.

The King called a sudden halt to their dancing, yelling out rudely, "Stop right there, pal!"

The music vanished in an instant and the dance was not so much done, as being simply gone.

There was a long silence before the king continued in a demanding voice, "You're not from my kingdom, are you? Exactly who are you!?"

Baron, by contrast, was very regal as he replied. "How rude of me. I should have introduced myself," he said, taking off his feathered hat and letting it fall to the polished floor with a dull thump. He turned to face the king and slowly took off his mask as he continued, "I am exactly who I appear to be."

Okay, now he was just milking the situation, Haru thought with a grin.

"I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," he announced, facing the king like true royalty, "and I have come for Haru."

"Baron!" The name slipped from Haru's lips before she had time to think as she threw her arms around his neck happily.

"He can't have her!" the king all but shrieked. Guards rushed out from somewhere that Haru couldn't determine, charging the two of them.

Haru sidled behind Baron as he threw his silver mask, somehow throwing it in just such a way so that its path was curved. The guards jumped out of its path and it came to a crashing stop as it hit and shattered the glass that Muta was in.

The lilac jelly poured out with Muta like a small wave, leaving Muta laying, fur somehow unaffected by his containment in the jelly, on his back, groaning, "Oh, I'm stuffed!"

The maids, in rather typical fraidy-cat girlish fashion, ran away shrieking something that sounded suspiciously like, "It's hideous!"

"Muta!" Haru gasped, heart lightening as guilt and despair lifted, "You're still alive!"


End file.
